How It's Made — Season 29

Liquid polyurethane is coloured, poured into moulds and cured before the finished skateboard wheels are machined and fitted with bearings. Layers of pastry, nuts and syrup become baklava, while custard and filo are combined for galaktoboureko; absorbent materials and air-handling components are assembled into systems that remove carbon dioxide; and embossed beeswax sheets are rolled around wicks to create honeycomb candles.

Fine wool fibres are arranged over fabric and agitated until they bind together as lightweight nuno felt. Heavy steel frames and hydraulic mechanisms are assembled into machines that crush empty industrial drums; salted vegetables are seasoned and fermented into kimchi; and precisely cut pieces of hardwood are arranged into the geometric patterns of traditional parquet flooring.

Selected hardwood is machined, sanded and finished into watch cases and bracelet links before receiving the movement and crystal. Steel tubing is cut, shaped and joined into bicycle frames; meat and other carefully measured ingredients are ground, blended and portioned as raw pet food; and formed metal components, lenses and fittings are assembled into replicas of traditional police lanterns.

Heat-resistant thermoplastic is moulded into protective helmet shells before liners, shields, straps and identifying trim are installed. Flexible natural materials are woven over shaped supports to create large basketry sculptures, while steel drums, burners, fans and electronic controls are assembled into machines that roast coffee beans evenly.

Moulded seats, padded backs, adjustable mechanisms, bases and casters are assembled into ergonomic office chairs. A specialty beverage known as vinobrew is prepared, blended and bottled; worn industrial sander drums are stripped, repaired, resurfaced and balanced for further service; and images drawn on prepared stones or plates are inked and transferred to paper as lithographs.

Shaped wooden boards are joined by flexible leather chambers and fitted with valves and nozzles to create fireplace bellows. Almonds and candied fruit are ground into a paste, formed over wafers and covered with icing to make calissons, while a streamlined hull, engine, controls and movable fins are combined into a recreational watercraft capable of diving beneath the surface and leaping from the water.

Carefully selected natural or synthetic bristles are aligned, secured in ferrules and attached to shaped handles to create artists’ brushes. Heating elements and controls are assembled into devices that prevent diesel exhaust fluid from freezing; precision playing surfaces, frames and mechanisms become game tables; and hand-worked decorative glass is fitted to metal supports to produce wall sconces.

Lightweight frames, pedal-driven propulsion systems and hydrodynamic supports are assembled into water bikes designed to rise above the surface as they gain speed. Electronic sensing elements are calibrated inside throttle-position sensors; cinnamon is infused into a sweetened spirit before filtering and bottling; and steel blanks receive individually raised cutting teeth before being hardened and fitted with handles as handmade rasps.

Cabinets, playing fields, rods and moulded figures are assembled and adjusted to create foosball tables. Vegetable oils and alkali are cooked, washed, poured into large moulds, cut and cured as traditional Marseille soap, while forged blades, springs, liners and shaped handle scales are carefully fitted together to produce Laguiole pocket knives.

Wool is knitted into oversized circular forms that are felted, shrunk, dyed and shaped into berets. Anise and other botanicals are blended with alcohol, water and sugar to make pastis, while steel frames, flywheels, pedals, resistance mechanisms and electronic displays are assembled into stationary exercise bikes.

Steel rods and sheet metal are bent, welded and protected with durable finishes to create folding bistro tables and chairs. Raised printing forms are coated with ink and pressed firmly into paper during letterpress printing; bamboo and ceramic components are shaped and combined into decorative lighting fixtures; and heavy frames, steel drums, hydraulic drives and vibration systems are assembled into asphalt compactors.

Processed cork is purified, ground and compressed into consistent bottle closures designed to reduce natural defects. Zinc sheet is roll-formed and joined into rain gutters; pork legs are trimmed, salted and slowly air-dried into traditional Basque ham; and long, curved chisteras used in pelota are woven by hand around shaped wooden frames.

Steel hemispheres are formed, welded together, heat-treated, engraved and balanced to produce pétanque balls. Living cells are cultivated under controlled conditions before the resulting biologic medicines are purified and formulated; conveyors, augers, engines and adjustable screeds are assembled into asphalt pavers; and coiled jute soles are stitched to fabric uppers to make traditional Basque espadrilles.